


Games

by dramamelon



Series: Top Slot [1]
Category: The Transformers (Cartoon Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Present Tense, Silly, Smarter than Expected, one-upmanship, referenced Sunstreaker/Hound
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-05
Updated: 2017-07-05
Packaged: 2018-11-23 15:15:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11405064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dramamelon/pseuds/dramamelon
Summary: Prowl returns from a week long mission to find his superiority in strategy games has been usurped in that time by an unlikely suspect.





	Games

Prowl loves a good strategy game. As a matter of fact, he’s consistently in the top scoring position on the most difficult strategy games available in Teletraan I′s vast collection.

Then he’s out of contact for a week or so on a mission, diplomatic in nature, uneventful but necessary, and unable to play. When he returns, he settles in that evening to wind down with a round or two of his favorite game. His shock is tremendous when he discovers his name replaced in the coveted top spot by none other than Sideswipe, a mech who only started playing shortly after Prowl left on that mission. A quick check shows even his most obscure game preferences have his name bumped down into the number two slot, all of them under Sideswipe.

Is this a glitch? Have the games been hacked? Or is Sideswipe somehow in possession of a much keener strategic mind than anyone ever gave him credit for?

Prowl is fairly certain it’s one of the first two possibilities, but still recruits the (highly amused) help of Jazz to be sure. It doesn’t take long for their joint effort to come across evidence of that third possibility being the actual truth of the matter as unaltered footage of Sideswipe defeating Prowl’s top score surfaces with very little searching. The question then becomes why has Sideswipe been hiding this obviously innate skill?

Taking the initiative, Prowl approaches Sideswipe as he sits down for a morning cube. Sideswipe eyes him warily, but plasters on a grin and salutes with his cube before taking a drink. “How can I help ya, Prowl?”

Sitting across the table from him, briefly nodding toward Sunstreaker as he takes a seat next to his brother, Prowl wastes no times on pleasantries. “You’ve taken a liking to strategy games. Why?”

While Sunstreaker snorts amusement into his own cube, Sideswipe blinks, frowns, swirls the energon around inside his cube. “What?”

“Strategy games, Sideswipe. Tell me about them.”

Sideswipe’s frown digs a bit deeper, a black finger dips into his energon before he pops it into his mouth and sucks it clean. “What can I tell you that you don’t already know?” Sideswipe asks. “I mean, your name’s at the top of all the top score lists.”

The look Sideswipe gives him then is so deadpan and heavy with knowing that Prowl swears he can physically feel the weight. He narrows his optics, sensor panels lifting a few degrees into a more dangerous set as Sideswipe’s grin makes a return, slow and potently smug.

“Oh, wait,” Sideswipe says, practically purring, dragging his finger through his energon again, “it’s _not_ anymore, is it?”

Choosing not to be bated into the angry reaction Sideswipe no doubt desires, Prowl persists. “You’ve shown no interest in the games before. Why show your skill now?”

Nonplussed at what amounts to a grand compliment from Prowl, Sideswipe cleans his finger—much to Sunstreaker’s disgust—by wiping it on his brother’s arm and offers Prowl a small shrug. “Dunno. Sunny kicked me out that first night because he had—” he yelps and scowls at Sunstreaker when a fist slugs him on the shoulder, “—he had _someone_ over, not naming names even though _everyone knows_ it was Hound—” the twins exchange brief glares, “—and I got bored.”

Prowl watches them, silently sizing Sideswipe up. This is a better answer than he’d come expecting. Apparently, though, he’s silent and watchful for a bit too long.

“Uh, Prowl? You okay?” Sideswipe asks, reaching across the table with a tentative hand to nudge him from his thoughts.

A soft hum of approval precedes the smile that stretches across Prowl’s mouth. He’s been woefully lacking in talented opponents for friendly games, after all. “The next time you’re bored, hit me up, Sideswipe. We’ll see how well you play one-on-one against another mech rather than Teletraan.”

“O-okay,” Sideswipe replies, his surprise at the offer obvious in the widening of his optics and slackness of his jaw.

“Have a good shift, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker,” Prowl says, giving the twins a nod as he rises to his feet. “I’ll see you both after you return.” He turns and makes his way back out into the halls, meeting Jazz along the way and accepting the full cube he holds out for him.

“Well, Prowler? How’d it go?”

“Mission accomplished,” Prowl tells him, sipping as they walk toward the bridge to meet with Optimus.

“New playmate attained so you don’t need to stomp my aft into the ground anymore?” Jazz asks with a snigger.

Prowl laughs and shakes his head, but affirms, “New playmate attained.”


End file.
